The Bishop Says: Guns as Targets (Bonus AFV in Bypass)

I recently posted an article covering Guns as Targets. In it, I discussed situations where the gunshield modifies the outcome of an attack. In a recent discussion online, a question was asked I had not covered in my post. I will cover it here now and throw in a bonus example.

Target Facing

Normally in ASL, the target facing is determined by the direction of incoming fire relative to the target. This is covered by D3.2. It is important to note, D3.2 applies to AFV and not other units. When firing at Guns it is the position of the firing unit which determines the applicability of the gunshield. Additionally, there is one other situation where the position of the shooter relative to the target determines the Target Facing: bypass movement. In the example below I will cover both.

Example

Refer to Figure 1. First, note C11.5 says “A gunshield helps protect the Good Order manning crew (only) of a Gun from most attacks which originate within its current CA.” Notice the bold portion. The AFV in E8 is outside the Gun’s CA. As much as it looks like it is “through” the CA in a D3.2 sense, this shot is from outside the Gun’s CA. The gunshield is NA in this case. The Gun still receives emplacement TEM if applicable.

As a bonus, refer to D2.32. Notice, D2.32 says “The Target Facing of a hit vs a vehicle in Bypass is based on the hex it originated from (not the target hexside crossed as per normal Target Facing; 3.2);” Again, like the Gun, the line of fire does not matter when determining the target facing. All that matters is the position of the unit shooting.

In this case, the Gun is in the AFV’s Side Cover Arc. As such, this shot strikes the weaker side armor. If the Gun were in H4, or if the AFV was in bypass of the F4/F5 hexside, the Gun would be in the AFV’s Front CA and any shot strikes the thicker front armor.

Conclusion

These examples highlight a few instances where the shooter determines specific aspects of the target’s defensive capabilities. When laying out your defense against AFV’s with thicker frontal armor, you can significantly increase your odds of killing them by seeking out these side shots. I often setup anticipating these types of shots and enjoy the look of shock on my opponent’s face when I crush his AFV in an unexpected way. Attacking against the gun, a careful approach can make the Gun more vulnerable.

I hope this helps in some small way. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to comment below or to contact me. Until next time.

— jim

GET TO THE CHOPPA…!!!

Jim has graciously given us permission to publish and archive “The Bishop Says,” so it never disappears as an ASL resource. The articles, containing invaluable ASL insights and learnings, will appear here, over time, unchanged from their original versions.
This article was originally published October 21, 2021 (v1.0).

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